***Official*** Australia in India 2012/13

[BoyBrumby]

Ojha's like a stealth chuck. Not in your face like (say) Ajmal or Williamson, but there'll be a replay you catch that makes you think "hang on, that's a bit rank"

 

[Prince EWS]

Changed your mind since last year then?

Here's one that divides opinion a bit - Ojha. What say ye, Brumbeh?

Nah, Ojha barely registers a flicker. Maybe I've set my bar lower nowadays.

Prepared to give him a number now?

He's a bit weird in that it looks a lot worse when he really tosses one up; it's like he gets underneath the ball with his elbow and flicks it out to really put some extra purchase on it. Other bowlers who have inconsistently dodgy-looking actions tend to look worse when they bowl their quicker variations but it's Ojha's slower one that has always looked a bit off to me.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Changed your mind since last year then?

Prepared to give him a number now?

He's a bit weird in that it looks a lot worse when he really tosses one up; it's like he gets underneath the ball with his elbow and flicks it out to really put some extra purchase on it. Other bowlers who have inconsistently dodgy-looking actions tend to look worse when they bowl their quicker variations but it's Ojha's slower one that has always looked a bit off to me.

Yeah, did say so earlier in the thread, tbf:

Have to admit I'm revising my position slightly, a few front on shotsfrom yesterday's highlights looked a wee bit incriminating. Looks like his action gets more ragged when he's under the pump, which I suppose is true of most chuckisly inclined "bowlers".

Never been one for slavishly holding opinions that're demonstrably wrong.

Still a relatively minor offender in the grand scheme tho. Maybe a 3?

 

[Spikey]

skidmark00 pressed him on the issue and he folded faster than superman on laundry day

 

[Spikey]

oh wait it was riggins. even softer effort from brumbeh tbh

 

[honestbharani]

But Rahane is a number 3 or 4 batsman anyway.

VVS actually prefers playing there too and some of his best knocks have come from 3 too. They bat lower down the order because there are others occupying the slots above.

Sachin prefers to bat at 4 so seems logical to me that the regular number 3's move up from their adopted positions rather than move up the whole order. Anyway, at least in India and this series it is much better coming in earlier as possible, so don't think it's a case of team needs him or anything like that.

lol @ Cevno justifying these acts. If Rahane was a #4 bat, will Sachin bat at 5 and let him bat at 4? He is just stupidly stubborn about where bats in the order (Except when he chooses to have a nightwatchman for him) and people are just calling it out here. Is Kohli a #3 batsman now?

 

[Prince EWS]

The batting order was absolutely stupid IMO; Rahane should have opened and if he didn't then he should have batted three. That's without even going into the fact that Tendulkar always bats four regardless.

 

[honestbharani]

It was the right decision moving up Bell for mine. And it was the right decision moving up Laxman.

And how's being regarded in high regard or not relevant anyway in terms of what suits the team better?



Point out the specific test where it has been in the best interest's and he has not batted at 3.

He opened when it was needed under his own captaincy in tests ffs. Shifted to the middle order in ODI's for a while before the 2007 WC and even in the WC when Greg Chappell wanted to test his weird and stupid theories despite not many liking the move and being in much better form opening.

Edit - If he bats at 3 he will be accused of being selfish and trying to hog the limelight and deny the youngsters a chance after runs on the board at home atleast. Can't win either way.

lol.. moving up a slot when the opener is injured is not hogging the limelight. I am almost sure no one here would say that (except Burgey maybe trying to catch more fish )

 

[Furball]

More of an unwritten rule - it's about umpires only tolerating batsmen using their pads for so long. Obviously if it's plumb they will give it out straight away.

Frankly if a batsman doesn't want to use his bat then he should be given out.

 

[Manee]

Good to see Jadeja hit a solid innings. He has been prolific with the bat in domestic cricket. If he can translate a smidgen of that and average 30 in Test matches along with his fine bowling and Ashwin continuing to be a solid Test batsman, I will be very happy. I'm really happy with Jadeja and think he is successfully being nurtured into a superstar all-rounder in all formats (maybe not T20*).

*Where, of course, the ignorant will always rate him the highest.

 

[silentstriker]

Yeah, did say so earlier in the thread, tbf:



Never been one for slavishly holding opinions that're demonstrably wrong.

Still a relatively minor offender in the grand scheme tho. Maybe a 3?

Ashwin?

 

[theegyptian]

So is Tendulkar retiring after this game?

 

[Cevno]

Honestbharani to tell us.

 

[Cevno]

The batting order was absolutely stupid IMO; Rahane should have opened and if he didn't then he should have batted three. That's without even going into the fact that Tendulkar always bats four regardless.

Yep. Agreed.

Kohli probably was jumping up and down to bat at 3 though. Would have been easier for Rahane to come in at 3 at that stage than 4 or 5 when the older ball started to bite more and started to reverse a bit plus that's where he usually bats.

 

[honestbharani]

Honestbharani to tell us.

lol.. touched a nerve with the Sachin comments, I guess..


To answer the original question, Retirement is his call, selection is the selectors.. To be completely honest, he has looked decent this series and I would hate to see a youngster have to debut or get his first extended run in the side in the RSA conditions..

 

[honestbharani]

The batting order was absolutely stupid IMO; Rahane should have opened and if he didn't then he should have batted three. That's without even going into the fact that Tendulkar always bats four regardless.

yeah.. way to ensure things don't go your way in a series where everything is going your way.

 

[Cevno]

lol.. touched a nerve with the Sachin comments, I guess..

Nah, you seemed so sure about him being so stubborn and seemed to know what the thought process was in the dressing room despite it making no sense, so thought maybe you would know this too.

Is he going to be selfish and scratch around till 200 tests ? Or is he going to be a chicken trying to save his average and retire after this series scared of facing Steyn/Philander and company in SA alongwith a inexperienced batting lineup ? Please do tell, what's it gonna be.

 

[honestbharani]

Where did I use the word "selfish"? I never said anything about the thought process... I was just echoing what Ravi Shastri and VVS Laxman said.. Do they not know what was going on in the dressing room too?



There is no point in arguing with someone with as big a blinker as you wear when it comes to Sachin, so that's the end of that.

 

[NUFAN]

Lyon, the only excellent performer today as well. Well played.

Peter Matthew Siddle being the first cricketer ever* to notch up a half century and take his 150th wicket on the same day disagrees.





*maybe

 

[centurymaker]

Nah, you seemed so sure about him being so stubborn and seemed to know what the thought process was in the dressing room despite it making no sense, so thought maybe you would know this too.

Is he going to be selfish and scratch around till 200 tests ? Or is he going to be a chicken trying to save his average and retire after this series scared of facing Steyn/Philander and company in SA alongwith a inexperienced batting lineup ? Please do tell, what's it gonna be.